Consumers may desire a change in their home furniture, and there are several options. New furniture can be purchased, existing furniture can be re-upholstered, or a slipcover custom-made or ready-made can be ordered. Those who choose the slipcover option do so for numerous reasons; to occasionally change the fabric/look of their furniture; to launder the slipcover fabric if ever need be; and it is generally the least expensive of the options.
Custom slipcovers are made to fit a specific piece of furniture. It is made directly on the furniture itself and therefore should have the best fit, and all cushions are individually covered. Semi-custom slipcovers are made by using measurements of a particular piece of furniture and the cushions may or may not be covered separately. Finally, the ready-made slipcover can be bought at a store where one size fits all within each category of sofa, loveseat, or chair. They are generally made as one piece of fabric that covers the entire piece of furniture, although the cushions may or may not be covered separately. They are the least fitted of them all. For the purpose of this application, we are only concerned with two definitions of a slipcover. That is, slipcovers with separately covered cushions or slipcovers that do not have separately covered cushions.
Movement has been a problem with any slipcover, custom, semi-custom, or ready-made. Under normal use, slipcovers typically shift out of place in many directions. Ready-made slipcovers will begin to shift almost immediately when in use. The reason for this is because there is virtually nothing holding the slipcover to the furniture. As the slipcovered furniture absorbs our body weight from use, it will predictably shift out of place.
The Riley U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,723, issued on Mar. 3, 1998, discloses a device essentially made of bendable rubber that when inserted into the back crevices of a piece of furniture, behind or to the sides of the seat cushions, yet on top of the slipcover, is meant to hold the slipcover in place. Although this device does, to some extent, do what it is designed to do, it falls short of its main purpose—securing a slipcover to the underlying furniture. In reality, after careful read of the aforementioned Riley patent, the device disclosed therein is only meant to stabilize, not securely hold, the slipcover in place.
In addition, the Riley device is designed to be inserted on top of a slipcover, and in only the crevices of the furniture; such as the crevice of the inside arm, and the crevice under the seat cushion where the slipcover is not seen. However, this device will not prevent the slipcover from movement or shifting caused by the weight of an individual sitting or lying on the slip covered furniture. As a result, unless the slipcover can be secured from forward, backward, and lateral movement, the slipcover will continue to move, wrinkle, and shift around into an unsightly appearance, and will require maintenance on the part of the slipcover owner to re-tuck and adjust the slipcover after normal use.
Unlike the Riley device, the double-sided adhesive tape of this disclosure is designed to be used directly on the furniture itself, under the slipcover and outside the crevices, although it can be placed inside or partially inside the crevices as well. For example, placing the tape along the outside arm of a piece of furniture as well as along the corresponding inside arm of the furniture creates “tension” necessary to keep the slipcover in that area from shifting while in use. The tension formed by the double-sided tape keeps the fabric taunt, which is recommended in order to hold the slipcover in place as compared to the use of any device which may be placed only in the crevice of the furniture to anchor the slipcover to the furniture. This is because as we sit on furniture, our body weight tends to pull the slipcover down with us, thereby shifting the fabric out of place. To prevent this, anchorage is mostly needed on both the inside and outside of the furniture.
The use of Velcro has found its way not only into slipcovers but throughout our society. However, Velcro needs two separate strips to function. When used with slipcovers it is necessary to calculate the exact location on the furniture, as well as the corresponding location on the slipcover, for the two side to meet and stay perfectly aligned throughout the entire length of the Velcro strips. Installing the slipcover would be difficult as the opposing Velcro strips would be sticking to each other like fly paper along numerous locations during the entire slipcover installation, making it difficult or impossible to get the slipcover into its proper position. Also, Velcro would be too thick and bulky under the slipcover, making it conspicuous and unsightly.
Conversely, the tape of this disclosure functions alone and does not require calculating any locations on the slipcover or furniture. It is thin enough to be virtually undetectable under the slipcover. The heat activated side of the tape is not sticky until heated so it is dry to the touch, allowing for smooth and effortless slipcover installation.
There are numerous-double sided tapes on the market that possess many structural combinations of adhesives and substrates. However there is no single tape that possesses the same structural components as the tape of this disclosure that can also yield the stated results. For example, the Husemann application #20030113533 is a double sided tape in an unrelated field for an unrelated purpose that may seem to parallel the tape of this disclosure, but in reality it differs. The structure of its tape uses a cross linked polyurethane carrier as its substrate. In essence this is a film made of polyurethane that is attached chemically to its opposing adhesives.
In contrast, the tape of this disclosure uses a fiberglass cloth for a substrate. Its opposing adhesives are physically laminated to it, as opposed to chemically. Also, the tape of this disclosure uses a thermoplastic heat activated adhesive which has the ability to be reheated multiple times to yield secure attachment to surfaces. Together with the fiberglass cloth, as well adhesives used, the tape becomes uniquely non-permanent in nature, reusable, and removable without leaving a residue.
There are various other patents or devices describing spring-loaded or metal strip devices and such, yet they not only have limited actual holding power but are mostly designed for placement on top of or only in the crevices of slip-covered furniture, or are designed to be permanently sewn or attached to the slipcover itself like ties and elastic. The need to find a way to secure slipcovers to furniture is such that some have resorted to using twist pins inserted on top of and throughout the slipcover.
The heat-activated double-sided tape of this disclosure may form the strength of attachment similar to permanently fastening a piece of fabric along furniture arms, for example, by first stapling the inside arm to the frame of the furniture and pulling the other end of the fabric over and down the outside of the arm, thereby creating the necessary tension. The double-sided tape of this disclosure is a non-permanent means of performing a similar function by first applying the tape directly to the furniture, in generally specific locations, before installing the slipcover and then applying heat directly to the surface of the slipcover, allowing the heat to penetrate through, thereby activating the heat activated adhesive side of the tape to hold and shape the slipcover to the contour of the underlying furniture.
In addition, the tape is manufactured to allow the slipcover to be removed at any time as may be desired. The strength of the tape can withstand relative vigorous stress, and yet the slipcover can still be removed with minimal effort and without having to reheat the tape. Also, the tape will allow for the removed slipcover to be re-installed, re-heated, and yet still securely hold the slipcover in place again and again. The tape itself can be removed from the underlying furniture and probably discarded but without leaving a residue on the furniture.
This double-sided tape may be employed with slipcovers that have separately covered cushions where the furniture cushions are removed from the body of the furniture before the installation, thereby allowing total access to all parts of the furniture. The inside furniture arms and the inside back of the furniture may be easily secured with the application of heat with the tape while the seat cushions are temporarily removed.
The tape may also work with slipcovers that do not have separately covered cushions, and other fabric or coverings as well, by applying the tape to the furniture according to the construction of the slipcover and typically employing the tape in a number of locations.